April 27, 2015, 21:41 UTC+3MOSCOWRussia’s new representative, Azamat Kulmukhametov, will succeed Mikhail Zurabov in the Contact Group on Ukraine, though Zurabov will stay head of the Russian diplomatic mission

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Dmitry Peskov

MOSCOW, April 27. /TASS/. Russia’s appointing a new envoy at the talks on Ukraine demonstrates that it attaches greater significance to the settlement process, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

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"This decision is geared to raise the level and enhance specialization of the Russian representation at the talks," he said, adding that Russian Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov would continue as head of the Russian diplomatic mission.

"As for the appointment of the special envoy, it once again stresses the importance the Russian side is attaching to the negotiating process, where Russia is one of the guarantors," Peskov underscored.

Russia’s new representative, Azamat Kulmukhametov, will succeed Zurabov in the Contact Group on Ukraine, Peskov noted. In his words, Kulmukhametov’s previous experience as a Russian ambassador in Arab countries would help him on his new post. "Arabists are filigree diplomats," he said.

When asked how the new Russian envoy’s work would be organized, Peskov said, "it will depend on where [the Contact Group] will meet." He noted that Kulmukhametov, as a special representative of the president, would coordinate his work with the head of state.